NFL pension dispute: Racial?

[Matra1]

As you may know Kyle Turley - offensive tackle for the KC Chiefs - is donating one game's salary ($25k after tax) to the pension fund for ex-NFLers as many of these former players are living in poverty. As far as we know no other player has announced plans to donate their one game salary. A Canadian radio sports host suggested today that race may play a part in the lack of interest among present day NFL players in helping those who came before them and made the game what it is today. He pointed out that most of the ex-players in need were in the NFL in the 1950s and early 60s when most players were white. Today, of course, most players are black. The other sports journalists in the discussion sounded shocked by this suggestion and dismissed it saying people today are just more selfish than previous generations with race NOT playing any part in it.

Given that some of the old timers must be black (percentages?) is this theory that it's all about race just paranoia? Personally I think it sounds about right but I have to admit people today - including whites - strike me as being less caring for those who came before them than any generation in history so I wouldn't rule out the possibility that race is irrelevant. What do you think?

BTW Jim Brown who, of course, is black has played a considerable role in bringing attention to the plight of ex-players.

 

[Don Wassall]

Do you have a link to this? It's difficult from your post to know exactly whatthe hostsaid and what you may be paraphrasing and/or adding yourself as commentary.


The NFL was predominantly white in the 1950s. By the end of the '60s it was about one-third black. By the early '80s it was about two-thirds black, just a little less black than it is today.

 

[Matra1]

I don't have a link. It was just on the radio yesterday afternoon. The host was Bob McCowan and the station was 590 The Fan. I've been hearing about the pension dispute all season and assumed anyone who followed the NFL was well aware of it. McCowan said he's been trying to get Kyle Turley on his show - the most popular in Canada - but Turley is booked up a month in advance as there is so much media interest in this issue. The racial aspect never occurred to me. The whole post is based on what Bob McCowan said. He wondered out loud if the reason for the lack of interest in the plight of ex-NFLers was the black domination of today's NFL and the fact that most of the former players now living in poverty are white.

 

[Poacher]

It wouldn't surprise me if it were true. Blacks are notoriously cheap. I remember a story years ago about Dikembe Mutombo and how he went around the Denver Nuggets locker room asking for donations for some African charity he had set up and his primarily black teammates wouldn't even give to that cause.

 

[Guest]

It is possible. There is plenty of debate in politics that mestizos are not going to be willing to pay the higher taxes necessary to keep Social Security and Medicare functioning in 20 years when most of the people using those programs are dying europeans.

It's really sad what the US is going to be like in 20 years. Much like the NFL, the US will be less than half european.